D'Sean Perry, former Gulliver Prep player, among 3 killed during mass shooting at University of Virginia, report
MIAMI - One of three people killed during a weekend mass shooting at the University of Virginia was from South Florida.
D'Sean Perry, a 2019 graduate of Gulliver Preparatory Academy in Pinecrest, was among the victims of the Sunday night shooting, according to a report.
Cliff Kling, the President of Gulliver Preparatory Academy, said Perry will be remembered for his kind heart, quick wit, strong moral character, and hard work.
Kling told CBS4's Peter D'Oench "This loss will be felt deeply. This was just an absolute tragedy. Just a horrible tragedy. D'Sean was a young man with a caring heart and I will also remember his work in one of our art shows. He had a smile that could light up a room. Our hearts and thoughts go out to his family."
A spokesman for Perry's family issued a statement that read in part:
"On behalf of D'Sean's parents, Happy and Sean Perry, and their entire family, we thank the South Florida and Charlottesville communities for the outpouring of support during this impossibly tragic time."
Right now, Happy and Sean will not speak publicly about the incident as their grief is only beginning, and out of respect for the University of Virginia community which has been terrorized by another mass shooting in the United States."
Perry was named the South Florida Conference's 2018 Defensive Player of the Year and finished his senior season in 2018 with 89 tackles, 16.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three interceptions, according to the UVA website.
He was a junior linebacker for the Virginia Cavaliers.
According to the Miami Herald, Perry was 6-foot-3 and weighed 230 pounds. He recorded two tackles Saturday in Virginia's 37-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers, and had seven total tackles this season and eight in his career, the newspaper said. MIAMI -- One of three people killed during a weekend mass shooting at the University of Virginia was from South Florida, according to reports.
During a mid-morning news conference, local officials announced that the shooting suspect, identified as Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was in custody.
Officials did not immediately say where or how Jones was caught.
In addition to the three people who were killed, two other victims were wounded during the incident in a parking garage.
Officials in Virginia released a photo of Jones that had been posted on the university's athletics website, where he was listed as a member of the UVA football team in 2018, when he was a freshman.
After the gunfire, campus officials issued a warning to shelter in place following a report that shots had been fired on the campus. The university's emergency management issued an alert on Twitter at 10:42 p.m. of an "active attacker firearm."
Officials have not publicly speculated about a motive for the shooting. All three of the people who were slain were football players.
Police have not publicly speculated about a motive for the shooting. All three of the people killed were football players.